LF: Advice on server scripting

[Dave]

Greetings

I am a web admin for a HP UNIX/Infommix DB system. I have 2 nodes.

Node A: OS (HP10.20)Web server (httpd). Infomration DB and PERL/CGI & HTML
are running to provide information(ret rieved from Informix DB). 95% of
perl/CGI scripts are running on this node
Node B: OS (HP11.20) Load build and some CGI scripts running.

The old web interface was HTML embeded with PERL/CGI. It can provide simple
and plain display. I have a request to refresh the overlooking of web page.
I am doing some research to see if there is any scripting language or tool I
can use which can

1) Provide good looking web interface
2) Call all my old perl/.cgi scripts, so that I don't need to re-write
PERL/INFOMRIX DB API LIB
3) Don't need to re-write DB API/LIB to retrieve infomrix databas infomix

I have 2 server script candidate here "PHP" and "Java Script".I don't have
any hand-on experience with these 2 server script. Can anyone provide advice
on whether "PHP" or "Java Scripts" can seemlessly take use or call PERL5/CGI
scripts? Or is there any better choice if NEW one can take use/ca;; my old
PERL5/CGI scripts? I hate rewriting DB API/LIB.

Thanks

Dave

[Colin McKinnon]

Dave wrote:

<snip>

The old web interface was HTML embeded with PERL/CGI. It can provide
simple and plain display. I have a request to refresh the overlooking of
web page. I am doing some research to see if there is any scripting
language or tool I can use which can

1) Provide good looking web interface
This is not normally a function of the language. In the case of PHP there
are lots of toolkits and CMS available for this though. Actually I'm not
aware of any web programming environment which integrates page design -
mostly people try to keep them seperate. (says me -
http://pfp-studio.sourceforge.net ! ).
2) Call all my old perl/.cgi scripts, so that I don't need to re-write
PERL/INFOMRIX DB API LIB
A bit vague on how much integration you need here.
3) Don't need to re-write DB API/LIB to retrieve infomrix databas infomix

Eh? PHP will talk to Informix but if you require to use an existing
abstraction layer written in your own code then you'd have to use Perl.
I have 2 server script candidate here "PHP" and "Java Script".

Javascript is predominantly used client side - IIRC the iPlanet webserver is
the only implementation of serverside javascript. Sounds like you don't
know what you're talking about.

I'd suggest finding someone local with professional experience in Open
Source software for a coupe of days consultancy.

C.